


what family means

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: first to fight [17]
Category: The Code (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Established Relationship, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Minor Maya Dobbins/Original Male Character(s), Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22097119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: It was on a Saturday afternoon in August that Maya showed up unexpectedly on Harper and Abe's doorstep. Things just got a lot more confusing - and exciting - from there.
Relationships: John "Abe" Abraham & Maya Dobbins, John "Abe" Abraham/Harper Li, Maya Dobbins & Harper Li
Series: first to fight [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1471817
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	what family means

**Author's Note:**

> Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. - Lilo and Stitch

It was on a Saturday afternoon in August that Abe was pulled away from the World War I documentary he and Harper were watching by the sound of someone continuously ringing his doorbell. They hadn’t anticipated the interruption; nobody was supposed to be dropping by anytime soon, and a majority of the people who’d do so were busy with their own lives that weekend.

“Maybe it’s someone trying to sell you something,” Harper offered bemusedly, pausing the documentary so he could answer the door. “I didn’t know people still did that door-to-door.”

“They don’t,” Abe replied, heading for the entryway. “I’m not convinced anyone outside of movies ever did.”

“Well,” Harper began, grabbing her phone from the nearby end table, “don’t worry. If it’s a serial killer, I’ve already got 911 dialed.”

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Abe returned drily, reaching for the doorknob. He pulled the door open, revealing the individual standing on his doorstep, and eyed her confusedly for a few seconds, unsure as to why she would have chosen this particular moment in time to randomly drop by for the first time in… well, forever.

Maya sighed exasperatedly, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “I know you aren’t exactly caught up on all the social niceties of this century, Abe, but this is usually the point where you’d invite me in.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, don’t get mad at me. Harper’s the one that put it in my mind that you might be a serial killer.”

“If I swear to you that I’m not a serial killer, _then_ can I come in?” she questioned impatiently.

“You can come in without taking any sort of oath at all,” he answered, stepping aside so she could do just that.

“Thank you,” she muttered, making her way past and heading immediately for the living room.

“So, Maya,” he started, closing the door behind them, “is there a reason you’ve chosen to grace us with your presence this afternoon?”

“I need to talk to Harper,” she informed him, her tone suggesting it wasn’t exactly a conversation she needed him present for. “And since she lives here now…”

“I still pay rent at my old place,” Harper interrupted defensively.

Maya waved a hand in the air, dismissing the argument. “Then you’re wasting a thousand dollars each month, because I can’t remember the last time I called you and you weren’t here. Which is not the thing I came to talk to you about,” she assured her friend. She glanced over at Abe. “Would it be possible for you to, I don’t know, be somewhere else for the next hour or so?”

“You mean will I allow myself to be kicked out of my own apartment?” Abe asked sardonically. “Sure. I’ll go grab some takeout from Feng’s. You want your usual?” he queried, glancing over at Harper.

She nodded. “And please remember to ask them for…”

“Extra duck sauce,” he finished. “I know.” He leaned over the sofa to press a kiss to the side of her head, then grabbed both his phone and wallet. “Call me if you think of anything else you need,” he requested, heading for the door. “And please let me know when I can return to my own home!” he added as an afterthought.

“I will. I love you!” Harper called back sweetly.

As bewildered as he was by the current situation, it was physically impossible for him not to smile like a lovesick fool every time he heard her utter those words. “Love you too.”

-o-

Harper waited for the door to close behind him before turning expectantly towards the other woman. “What’s going on?”

“Well, I found out something reasonably important this morning,” Maya supplied, laughing humorlessly. “It’s the sort of thing I should definitely be sharing with Rhys before anyone else, but he’s on a case in Afghanistan at the moment, and I feel like I’ll implode if I don’t discuss it with somebody soon, so…” She shrugged. “You drew the short straw. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Harper assured her. “There’s no need to apologize. You might want to go ahead and talk about it, though, before it drives your blood pressure up,” she urged gently.

“That’s probably a decent idea,” Maya agreed, wringing her hands together nervously. It was one of the first times Harper had seen the other woman truly uneasy. “So,” she began, inhaling deeply, “I found out what has been making me sick for the past month.”

“Okay,” Harper replied slowly, feeling her own nerves set in as every worst-case scenario ran through her head in rapid succession. “What is it?”

“A baby,” Maya said evenly. The look in her eye didn’t do as good a job at concealing her panic. She met Harper’s gaze with a half-smile. “I’m having a baby.”

“Yeah, I… I got that,” Harper stammered, unsure of what else to say. “Are you happy about it? I mean, are you – do you want to keep it?”

“I do,” Maya nodded. “I’ve always wanted to be a mother, and raising another kid with Rhys is… I mean, it’s the dream. It’s _my_ dream.” She exhaled heavily, shaking her head. “But the fact that it’s _my_ dream doesn’t… it’s not guaranteed it’ll be Rhys’s dream, too,” she murmured. “I mean, he’s already done this. He already has a kid that… she’s about as close to perfect as a kid can be. Who knows if he wants to do that all over again?”

“Well, one way to find out would be to _ask_ him,” Harper suggested helpfully. “Preferably _before_ you develop preeclampsia from all the stress you’re putting yourself through over this.” She shrugged when Maya shot an inquisitive glance her way. “I did a lot of research when Nona was pregnant,” she admitted unrepentantly. “I wanted to do my part to make sure nothing bad happened to any of them.”

“That’s sweet,” Maya murmured distractedly. She continued staring straight ahead. “I know how Rhys is going to feel about it,” she admitted quietly. “He’ll be ecstatic. He was born prepared for two things: a courtroom and fatherhood. He’s just about the best father I’ve ever known; Maddie worships the ground he walks on.”

“He’s pretty great at it,” Harper agreed, though she knew this wasn’t a conversation she was really involved in, not anymore. “So, if you know how he’ll feel about it, then why…”

“Because it’s not his feelings I’m worried about,” Maya interrupted. “Because I’m thrilled now, but I’m afraid that the second this is set in stone, I’ll start feeling like the walls are closing in on me. Because I never thought I’d have to do this without my mom to tell me how to not screw the kids up, but because of a drunk driver, I’ve been left entirely on my own.” Her eyes were glistening with tears when they met Harper’s. “I am so terrified I can’t breathe sometimes, and there’s nobody who’s been through this who can talk me through any of it.”

“Rhys has been through this,” Harper reminded her gently. “So have Trey and Nona. You are not alone in this, Maya.” She reached over to squeeze her friend’s hand. “And yes, your mom’s not here, and that sucks, but you have people who’d talk you through all this in a heartbeat the second you asked for help. You have a family. It isn’t by blood, and we’re admittedly a mess sometimes, but you’ll never be able to get rid of us. Especially now that you’re making me an aunt again. I’m going to be over constantly; you’ll _wish_ you were able to get rid of me.”

“Never,” Maya swore, laughing tearfully. “As great a brother as Matt is, I’ve always wanted a sister.”

“Well, you’ve got one,” Harper replied easily, honestly. “And you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.”

“Thank you,” Maya murmured.

“Well,” Harper sighed, smiling warmly, “from what I’ve heard, this is what family’s for.”

Maya smiled, swiping at the tears beneath her eyes. “I need to stop crying,” she declared shakily.

“World War I documentary?” Harper suggested, reaching for the remote.

“How is that supposed to _keep_ me from crying?” Maya questioned dubiously.

Harper shrugged. “Don’t know that it will. You can fight about it with Abe when he gets back, though.”

“Oh, well,” Maya nodded, settling in, “then I’m in.”

-o-

“Okay,” Abe called an hour later, closing the door behind him and hanging his keys up on their proper hook, “I’ve been told it’s once again safe to enter my own home. If that’s no longer the case, I will take my Chinese food and… go sit on a park bench or something.”

“You’re good, sweetheart,” Harper assured him as she padded into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him down for a brief kiss, then smiled against his lips as she pulled away. “Thank you,” she murmured. “For the time and the food.”

“Of course,” he returned, tightening his arm around her waist and pressing a quick kiss to her hairline. “She’s okay, isn’t she?” he questioned, nodding toward the living room.

Harper nodded, wiping a bit of excess lip gloss from his lips with her thumb. “She’s good,” she assured him.

“Good,” he sighed in relief, his eyes drifting shut briefly. As much as he enjoyed antagonizing Maya, he loved her in the same way he loved Candace. He didn’t even want to think about what he’d do if something truly was wrong.

“She’ll tell you about it soon, I’m sure,” Harper continued, pulling out of his arms to help him plate the food, “but it’s nothing serious. Well,” she revised, “it’s nothing _bad_.”

“Glad to hear it. May!” he called into the living room. “I just bought out most of Feng’s menu. Are you feeling well enough to help us at least make a dent in it?”

“Always,” Maya returned, making her way into the kitchen. Her eyes widened as she took in the multiple bags on the counter. “Wow. I really thought you were kidding.”

“He never kids about food,” Harper informed their friend seriously, opening the refrigerator and grabbing the half-gallon of orange juice. “We have milk, too, and sodas. Water,” she listed off, pouring all three of them a glass when the kitchen’s other two occupants assured her the beverage was fine.

“So,” Abe began once they’d plated the food and gathered at the kitchen table, “everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Maya assured him. “I’m just pregnant, that’s all,” she tacked on casually, reaching for her fork to scoop up a bit of sticky rice.

Of course she’d waited until he took a drink before dropping that bombshell. He somehow managed not to choke, though it was a little too close for comfort. After clearing his throat multiple times and blinking back the tears that’d developed in response to his air supply being suddenly cut off, he met her gaze incredulously. “I’m sorry; would it be possible for you to repeat that?”

“I’m pregnant,” she said again, smiling slightly. “Congratulations, Uncle Abe. You get to buy out all the baby stores all over again.”

“Harper won’t let me do that; she says it’s not fair to everyone else with babies in the family,” he informed her absently, a little too distracted by the news she’d just shared. “So,” he inhaled deeply, “are you happy?”

“Yeah,” Maya replied honestly, smiling widely. “I am.”

“Then I’m happy for you,” he said definitively. “Truly, Maya. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, her smile softening slightly. “Try not to bankrupt yourself though, Uncle Abe.”

“I’ll do my best,” he sighed, returning her smile. “It’ll be cool, having another little girl hanging out at all our gatherings.”

“You don’t know it’s a girl yet,” Maya protested.

Abe shook his head. “It’s a girl,” he assured her.

“Great,” Harper sighed fondly, reaching over to pat his hand. “I will once again live _surrounded_ by pink and purple fabric.”

“There are worse things to be surrounded by,” Maya offered, spooning up a bite of food and lifting it to her mouth.

“Yeah,” Harper agreed softly, smiling over at Abe. He winked at her, then returned his attention to his food. “There definitely are.”

And she was struck again by the realization that, of all the people she could’ve ended up surrounded by and all the unconventional families she could’ve found herself becoming part of, she was really glad this was the one she’d found.

**Author's Note:**

> Boom! Baby. 
> 
> I made a subtle mention to this pregnancy in my Thanksgiving story, but I felt the need to write much more in-depth stories about it, as well. And yes, I'll have a reaction from Rhys written up, as well; his voice is a bit harder for me to write (which is ironic, I know, considering I'm the one who invented him), but I feel this is one of those times getting into his head - or, at the very least, getting into Maya's when he finds out, is important.
> 
> I will likely go back and write things from prior to this. One of these days I'll be inspired in the order things happened, but today, it turns out, is not that day. 
> 
> Also, in relation to the title - I take no criticism. It began as another Lilo and Stitch quote: "This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little and broken, but still good." I couldn't decide which line to pull from it, so I went with the Ohana line instead.


End file.
